Broader Term (email I sent to Dr. Hall after a conversation we had yesterday)
I don't know why this didn't occur to me earlier...The reason the literature has not defined a broader category including both body modification (i.e., "decorating" or "adorning" the body with tattoos, piercings, etc.) and self-injury is that SI encompasses more behaviors than merely those which leave marks on the skin. Cutting and burning are the two most common forms of SI, but there are also hitting, scratching, hair-pulling, skin-picking, bone-breaking, etc. Typically, self-injury is defined as any intentional act which inflicts tissue damage, but that damage does not always have to occur at the skin level, or even at a visible level. Many times self-inflicted wounds that are visible on the skin fade with time, sometimes quickly, therefore there is no long-term or "official" modification of the body. Intent doesn't necessarily play a role.
A broader category which includes SI is "self-destructive behavior" or "self-harm". This includes acts such as self-starvation, self-dehydration, self-inflicted sleep-deprivation, and self-poisoning. (Self-poisoning is in itself a complex category. It includes poisoning, or "intoxicating", the body with not only chemical agents, pharmaceutical drugs, or illicit/street drugs, but also with vitamins, minerals, even water.) A notable example is a diabetic who "overdoses" on sugar to induce a diabetic coma, or who eats too little sugar to induce insulin shock. Self-induced electrolyte balances, not taking critical medication (such as insulin, antibiotics, SSRI's, etc.), stopping a medication without first talking to one's doctor or without tapering off from a high dose, inducing panic or anxiety attacks by placing oneself in a "triggering" situation, all constitute forms of self-destructive behavior. And again, intent doesn't necessarily play a role in any of these. (There are quite a few more examples I can think of, but I don't want to overwhelm you.)
While it may be convenient to have a term or category including both body modification and self-injury, it is important to draw a distinction between the two. The former consistently describes an intentional change in the physical appearance of one's body, while the latter does not do so so consistently: a change in physical appearance may occur, but is not required for an act to be classified as self-injury.
I hope I've cleared this up a little. If there's any more I can explain, or if I've made you think of a few questions that you'd like to ask (or arguments that you'd like to make), don't hesitate and I'll do my best.
See you Monday,
Jennifer
EDIT: cross-posted to 10_months
A broader category which includes SI is "self-destructive behavior" or "self-harm". This includes acts such as self-starvation, self-dehydration, self-inflicted sleep-deprivation, and self-poisoning. (Self-poisoning is in itself a complex category. It includes poisoning, or "intoxicating", the body with not only chemical agents, pharmaceutical drugs, or illicit/street drugs, but also with vitamins, minerals, even water.) A notable example is a diabetic who "overdoses" on sugar to induce a diabetic coma, or who eats too little sugar to induce insulin shock. Self-induced electrolyte balances, not taking critical medication (such as insulin, antibiotics, SSRI's, etc.), stopping a medication without first talking to one's doctor or without tapering off from a high dose, inducing panic or anxiety attacks by placing oneself in a "triggering" situation, all constitute forms of self-destructive behavior. And again, intent doesn't necessarily play a role in any of these. (There are quite a few more examples I can think of, but I don't want to overwhelm you.)
While it may be convenient to have a term or category including both body modification and self-injury, it is important to draw a distinction between the two. The former consistently describes an intentional change in the physical appearance of one's body, while the latter does not do so so consistently: a change in physical appearance may occur, but is not required for an act to be classified as self-injury.
I hope I've cleared this up a little. If there's any more I can explain, or if I've made you think of a few questions that you'd like to ask (or arguments that you'd like to make), don't hesitate and I'll do my best.
See you Monday,
Jennifer
EDIT: cross-posted to 10_months